During my time as an athlete and coach of athletes, injuries and getting through injuries were a significant component of the process. I have trained and trained with many athletes and have been side-lined for long periods. For those athletes I have coached or mentored, the two main pieces of advice I have given them are 1) perform what you can as well as you can 2) set and achieve different goals, which can bring you a strong sense of achievement. While somewhat obvious, they are often overlooked.
Perform what you can as well as you can
Many athletes across all sports experience similar situations while injured. They cannot complete normal training sessions, travel, or compete with their squads or teams. Their normal routines are broken. During this period, you often have two types of athletes. Firstly, those who will lose focus have high levels of self-pity and do not continue with the level of work they put in while fully fit. Secondly, those who utilise the same hours are usually spent physically training to rehab, mentally train or study their weaknesses.
While you may be extremely limited in what you can do, maximal performance in what you can is crucial. From physical rehabilitation and nutrition to mindfulness and watching sporting highlights, there are still many ways you can move forward as an athlete during your injury. The injury has happened, and there is not anything you can do to change it. However, you can ensure you come back as fast as possible and fitter and mentally stronger than ever.
Set and achieve separate goals which can bring you a strong sense of achievement
Many athletes’ lives heavily revolve around their sport and their sporting success. Many of us lack a feeling of progress or accomplishing goals. While injured, replacing sporting goals with other attainable goals is crucial.
A few years ago, I suffered from a bad spinal sprain during a training session. While not uncommon, it can be a harrowing one. Not only was I unable to train, but I was also unable to work and even getting out of bed or moving was painful. With the prospect of weeks of being alone in my house, unable to achieve much other than eating and sleeping, I felt relatively bleak. I decided to make the most of that time and get into reading books, focusing on audiobooks. That meant I could download them straight to my phone and not have to order or wait on delivery of them.
I hadn’t read enough before this, and it was something I could do without moving and could continue learning and developing. I set myself a goal of finishing three books a week while out of action. While falling short (7.5 books in 3 weeks), I learned significantly then. More importantly, it created a strong habit. Since starting, I have averaged 40 books a year, helping me learn a range of topics including financial investments, sleep science, fitness training and business marketing.
While not all goals have to relate directly to my area of work or career, pick something you always have wanted to do or that will benefit you in the future. With this extra time away from training, we can use it to learn and improve ourselves. Some examples I have heard from connections or friends working on and learning during injuries
- Learning an instrument
- Learning website design
- Starting social media for their business
- Improving Mobility/Starting yoga
- Start a YouTube channel
The possibilities of options are nearly endless. It is a fully personal preference, but the ability to progress rapidly is a bonus whenever someone starts a new skill or learning a new topic. The time to go from beginner to intermediate is far faster than advanced to elite. It can bring enjoyment and focus to the day, which then can help us get up earlier and look forward to the day.
Injuries are a frustrating and painful time for many athletes but keeping positive and moving forward will help you grow as an individual and as an athlete.
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